Mutational screening of SF1 and WNT4 in Tunisian women with premature ovarian failure

Background: WNT4 and SF1 genes play an important role in ovarian development. They constitute coherent candidate genes associated with premature ovarian failure (POF) pathogenesis. Methods: We sequenced the coding region of WNT4 and SF1 in 55 Tunisian women with POF and 100 healthy controls. Results: We identified a synonymous variation in WNT4 (c.99G>A, p.Ser33Ser) and a substitution (c.G437C) in SF1 gene inducing G146 to Ala (GGG-GCG) missense mutation. WNT4 (c.99G>A, p.Ser33Ser) was not associated with POF pathology. However, a positive association of SF1 Gly146Ala polymorphism was noted. Gly146Ala minor allele frequency was significantly higher (p = 0.029) in POP patients versus controls and Ala allele containing genotypes (p = 0.005) were positively associated with POP pathology. The carriage of 146Ala allele was also associated with a significant reduction in estradiol plasma levels. Conclusions: SF1 Gly146Ala polymorphism seems to be associated with POF pathology in the Tunisian population likely by reducing estradiol levels. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.